Hiking Safety Pilot Project Launched At Humphreys

[joebartels]

group of volunteers to reduce the number of search and rescues

http://kjzz.org/content/146867/hiking-s ... ak-arizona

[big_load]

Are there many SAR incidents at Humphreys? Maybe news doesn't spread as efficiently from Flagstaff as from Phoenix, but I would have guessed that Humphreys is less disaster-prone than Camelback, despite their considerable differences.

[chumley]

Humphreys can mess with people who aren't used to it. You never know if the GPS track indicates if there is an actual easy-to-follow trail, or if it's easy to get off-route. Satellite doesn't show much of anything. Volunteers will likely help point people in the right direction. After all, those who wander off and end up on the Aspen Nature Loop by accident may die from traversing unnecessary switchbacks on nearly flat terrain. ;)

[nonot]

Popular hikes are "dangerous" in general. Being popular, they attract lots of unprepared people. I think Bright Angel trail is still the most dangerous anywhere in the world due to its popularity?

Joe maintains a ranking page somewhere, and on FindDex, Humphreys Summit is #2 overall. If you were to combine the two camelbacks they would beat Humphreys, but if you combine Inner Basin with Humphreys they both tie, which suggests Humphreys Mtn probably sees about the same amount of SAR activity as Camelback Mtn. You probably hear about them less because there are less news reporters in Flag.

Edit: Bright Angel ranks in the top 10 so this is probably not a perfect measure of SAR activity